


Someone You Loved

by librarynaps



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette, Angst, Character Development, Chat Noir Purrs, Comfort and Sadness, Dom!Chat Noir, F/M, Headcanon, Hurt & Comfort, Identity Reveal (eventually), Marichat, Mind-Numbing Angst, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, but they'll be happy in the end, plenty of puns, some ladynoir, sub!Marinette, warning: lots of pain ahead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-14
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-09-22 23:47:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20330515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/librarynaps/pseuds/librarynaps
Summary: Marinette is heartbroken after Adrien confesses to loving someone else. When Chat finds Ladybug crying, he takes that moment to confess his feelings, but her heartbroken state makes a true mess of things. Both with hearts torn to shreds, Chat refuses to work with Ladybug. He can't ignore Paris, though, so he continues to be Chat Noir - alone.Chat finds Marinette sobbing on her balcony on one of his lone patrols, and both find that they have quite a bit in common. His visits become frequent, each sharing their most intimate thoughts and feelings. Neither expected to find anything other than a friend, but isn't how that goes? After all, Chat was getting used to being someone Marinette loved, even if it wasn't really him.[Inspiration from 'Someone You Loved' by Lewis Capaldi]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, dear readers! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story, which I've poured a lot of love and time into. It's been a long minute since I've written, so constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated - especially from fellow writers. Expect long chapters from me, though I'm not sure how frequent updates will be. I'll leave that up to the muse fairy (or muse kwami, in this case) ;)
> 
> I've had this idea floating around in my head for a while, and hoping you will appreciate this headcanon as much as I do. It's literally consumed my entire mind and soul (and with any luck, yours too).
> 
> Enjoy!

_ She’d almost kissed him. _

Her face had been less than an inch away. She’d felt the warmth of his breath and the soft skin of his cheek. Was it foolish to hope things could ever go back to normal? There was no way he believed her insistence of it being a prank, having known it was fake the whole time. Adrien wasn’t that daft, was he? 

Chest feeling as though ten tons were added to it today, Marinette felt her resolve crumble from the inside out. Tears welled through her eyes, fingers curling against the skin of her arms as she held herself tightly for dear life. Her body quivered with the last thread of strength she had left, trying to hold in the emotion threatening to spill over. The poor girl only got as far as the stairs leading up to her bedroom before she broke entirely.

* * *

“See you at school tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” echoed Marinette’s dejected reply, not bothering to glance back properly as she entered the bakery. The car door closed after her, his driver continuing down the road.

Adrien frowned after her, wondering if it had been something he said. A minute ago, in the car when they’d talked, she’d seemed so happy again. Why had it taken a complete turn-around? That girl was an enigma to him, but perhaps that just went to show how much he knew about friends in general. He didn't have a lot of experience with friendship, though he liked to think his friendship with Nino and Alya was strong. Marinette was just so… different. It frustrated him as much as it hurt him.

Following a heavy sigh, the Gorilla pulled into the Agreste mansion. Adrien stepped out of the car, not saying a word as he entered the cold vicinity of the front corridor. Nathalie began talking instantly of his schedule for the rest of the night, having had been waiting for him by the steps. Giving a half-hearted voice of acknowledgment, the blonde teen continued to his bedroom, where he shut the door and collapsed against his couch. 

Plagg wasted no time zipping out of his t-shirt, eagerly finding the camembert tray laying on the coffee table. Tossing a whole slice into his mouth in one gulp, the kwami burped audibly, earning a groan of disgust from his holder.

“Glutton,” teased Adrien, half a smile formed on his face.

The tiny black cat only grinned back, making him chuckle softly in reply before falling silent again. He watched Plagg eat more and more of his stinky cheese, minutes going by with nothing but sighs coming from his lips every thirty seconds.

A groan came from his kwami, who rolled his eyes and grumbled, “I’m gonna regret asking this, but… what’s on your mind, Adrien?”

Green eyes met green and the supermodel admitted, “Marinette.”

Marinette… His friend. They’d had such a good relationship up until this point, hadn’t they? She had helped him with modelling that time in the park, they had done an entire film project together, and had such a wonderful picnic with their friends. She’d kissed his cheek that day, and his dimples turned rosy at the memory, feeling his hand rise to touch the spot her lips had been. She certainly hadn’t felt negatively towards him that day, so why was today any different? Had he said something thoughtless again? Adrien was never good with people, despite having such a public face for the Agreste company. His interactions up until joining Dupont High were exclusively with interviewers and other models. They spoke in a language only they understood, which made talking to anyone outside his coworkers awkward and uncertain. So, maybe to him he had said something normal, while to her it was inappropriate or unkind. He felt his heart clench in his chest at the idea he hurt her feelings, hand dropping from his cheek.

Plagg’s lengthy groan pulled the boy from his thoughts, making his eyes return up to where the creature zoomed over to float in front of his face. 

“Look, Kid, I don’t care much for giving romantic advice.”

Adrien shook his head, pointedly reminding him, “Marinette is just a friend, Plagg. She doesn’t think of me that way, and I love Ladybug, remember?”

Unimpressed, the kwami rose an eyebrow at his holder. “Uh-huh,” came his monotone reply. Before Adrien’s open mouth could protest, he continued with, “Well, either way, wouldn’t the easiest method just to be to talk to her?”

“I tried that!” exasperated the blonde, throwing his arms back against the pillows with his slumped figure. Gaze absent, he reflected, “But whenever I talk to her, she starts stuttering and tries to run off. Today was proof of that; when she got trapped in that room with me, she said ‘Don’t leave me alone with him.’ How else am I supposed to take that other than dislike? I know in the car she said we were friends, but it didn’t feel like it.” 

Seeing his Miraculous holder in such utter dismay, Plagg moved to sit on his shoulder, touching his cheek lightly with a single paw. “Hey… I don’t think that’s true. If it was, she wouldn’t have come today in the first place, right? I mean, she has to like you a _ little _ or she wouldn’t have put up with your crap all the time. I’m required since you’re the holder of the ring, but she’s got no excuse.”

Despite the lack of affection in his kwami’s tone, he knew Plagg cared deeply for him, and oddly enough, his words were exactly what he needed to hear. Marinette wouldn’t have come to the museum if she didn’t mind hanging out with him, so what was up with her weird behavior? Whenever Adrien talked to her, it was like she shut down completely.

Briefly, he considered talking to her as Chat Noir. Wouldn’t that be immoral, though? After all, he would be using his alter ego to make a friend for his own gain. It was despicable even to consider, so he shut that idea down quickly. Heart heaving in his chest, Adrien lay his head back to close his eyes. 

He had patrol with Ladybug tonight to keep him busy at least.

Ladybug… The love of his life. Adrien’s eyes turned wistful as he thought of her, so powerful and confident in everything she embodied. While many citizens of Paris had proclaimed love for their superheroine, he knew it was superficial. They loved her protection, her beauty, and the idea of her. He loved so much more. Adrien loved those things, too, certainly, but his affection had depth. Her resolve was always perfect, never swayed on her strong opinions. She cared deeply about everyone and everything, including her partner. He’d never felt unwanted in her presence, bringing him back to those warm feelings that fluttered in his stomach.

An unconscious smile drew over his lips. He’d told Marinette so easily how in love he was, yet why couldn’t he give Ladybug the same courtesy? Thinking of her so soon after thinking of his school friend seemed almost wrong somehow, though Adrien pushed that idea aside, deciding upon its irrelevance.

Glancing to Plagg, who cast him a half-interested look, he realized the kwami probably thought he was still considering Marinette’s feelings. But his mind had moved on, so he mused aloud, “What about Ladybug?”

Plagg raised a single brow, which prompted Adrien to continue, “I mean, Ladybug likes me. She laughs at my jokes, she trusts me implicitly, and she seems happy with me, right? If only I could get Mari to see me how she sees me. It would be so much easier.”

His wistful sigh drew a groan from the kwami, whom he could have sworn grumbled under his breath, “God, you’re so daft.”

Before he could contemplate whether or not the words had been spoken or not, Plagg was speaking. “Yeah, but you act different as Chat. You get more confident, laugh more, and seem much more tense. Frankly, I’m not sure why you don’t just do that as Adrien. After all, being so perfect all the time seems awfully boring.”

Watching the tiny god pluck another piece of cheese to toss into his mouth, the model grimaced at his words. Plagg was right, unfortunately. 

“I can’t, Plagg,” murmured Adrien, eyes falling, “My father would never let me leave the house if I started acting like how I do as Chat. I don’t have any freedom. That’s why I wanted Mari as a friend; she’s the most human person I know. She’s caring, whole-hearted, and brave. I meant it when I called her our everyday Ladybug.”

A warmth flooded his vibrant eyes, pulling a smile back to his lips. It lasted many moments before falling again. “But I can’t be truthful with her, and maybe that’s why she doesn’t like me. Maybe she knows I’m not being myself and sees me as fake. I wouldn’t blame her.”

“Screw her, then,” shrugged Plagg, “Who needs friends? All you need is cheese and a good nap.”

“Plagg,” chastised Adrien with a light grin, “Friends are important.”

“But you can’t be truthful with her as Adrien, so why all this effort?”

“I like Marinette,” admitted the blonde, though adding quickly at the sly smirk he got from Plagg, “Not like _ that, _ but… I want to be her friend. Ladybug seems to be the closest I can get, though Ladybug is someone I’m so in love with that I don’t know if I can be as casual with her as Mari.”

“So just tell her how you feel,” suggested the black cat. “If you do that, then there’s no more wondering. She can either accept your gross human feelings and you live happily ever after, or she can reject you and we can binge on camembert.”

Adrien’s eyes shot wide open. “I can’t do that! She… I mean… Look, I’ve been honest with Ladybug, haven’t I? I flirt with her all the time, I’ve told her I have feelings. She just… doesn’t know quite how strong they are.”

“And weren’t you just saying how Ladybug is the only one you can be honest with in a world where you hate liars?”

Once every hundred years or so, Plagg gave decent advice, Adrien realized. But, glancing at the clock, he realized he had no more time to contemplate Plagg’s words. With a smirk, he held up his fist, ring glinting. 

“Sorry, Plagg, but time’s up: Claw’s out!”

His kwami wailing with disapproval, he merged with the ring, turning it black as green light flashed over Adrien’s body.

Moments later, Chat Noir stood in his place, pouncing out the open window to enter the night. Cold autumn air blew around him as he maneuvered atop buildings, eventually reaching the all-too-familiar landscape of _ La Tour Eiffel. _ Ironically, this late, it tended to be completely empty - especially at the peak where he and Ladybug met.

A red silhouette already shone under the moon’s beauty, bringing a smile to his features. Chat leaped eagerly up to meet her. His baton extended, flinging him the rest of the height to join her at the very top of the tower. Feet touching down silently, the young cat-like man approached her from behind, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Fancy meeting you here, M’Lady,” came his soft tone, pleasant with a hint of flirtatiousness.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t received as kindly. Her shoulder jerked back, wide bluebell eyes flying to meet his. They seemed oddly shiny tonight, with faint streaks down her cheeks. Had… had she been crying? Sudden concern flooded Chat Noir’s chest, falling to his knees to cast a deep gaze towards her.

Wiping her face hastily, Ladybug cleared her throat, “Chat. Um, you’re early.”

Flashing her the tiniest of smiles, he corrected, “Actually, it’s midnight on the dot.” Without even needing to look at a clock, a small ‘oh’ echoed from her lips, seeming to accept this as fact. But it didn’t erase his worry.

There was a quiet sniffle from his Lady, one that pulled on his very heartstrings and he extended an arm achingly slow, hoping to touch her arm in comfort. When she didn’t pull away, he let it remain there, offering silent support. They remained there in a painful lack of speaking for far too long, both not knowing how to end it.

“Ladybug,” finally broke Chat Noir, “Are you alright?” Why was she crying? What had happened? Would she be safe getting home? Should he call someone for her? Those were the questions he really wanted to ask, but he knew better. If they compromised her identity in any way, which they probably did, she would only be further upset.

For a fraction of a second, he didn’t think she’d respond. But, her voice eventually carried over the soft wind.

“Um… No, not really,” she admitted, laughing humorlessly. Her eyes lacked their usual sparkle, no smile anywhere near her face.

He pressed his luck, reaching a hand to brush back a stray hair behind her ear. She only leaned into his touch, his hand briefly caressing her cheek before she turned her head. His hand fell to hold her shoulder instead, an action she seemed to accept.

“Do you… maybe want to talk about it?”

A wince followed his words, preparing himself for rejection. To his surprise, Ladybug answered honestly.

“I don’t know if there’s anything to talk about,” came her soft murmur, sounding on the verge of tears again. But after a quick sniffle and deep breath, she explained with a whimper, “I f-found out… the boy I’m in love with, he loves someone else.”

_ Oh. _

Shit, he wasn’t sure what to do. She was clearly completely heartbroken, devastated beyond anything he’d ever experienced. Ladybug’s shoulder shook under his fingers, and all Chat knew to do was pull her into him, holding her against his chest. Her cries became frantic, sobbing into him. Even still, it was heartbreaking to say he knew she was trying to hold her tears back.

“Am I an idiot, Chat? I mean, I’m just a high school girl with a crush and he probably never even thought twice about me!” exclaimed the heroine, hysterical, “And here I am, crying over him when he doesn’t want me as anything more than a _ friend. _ Fuck, I’m so stupid, I should be better than this.”

Her tears continued heavily, though she seemed to be recovering enough to form entire sentences. Vulnerable blue eyes peered up at him hesitantly, and a sudden ferocity ignited in him.

Who could have done this to her? Breathtakingly beautiful, impossibly intelligent, mindlessly selfless, and perfect up and down everything she was - Ladybug was a catch by anyone’s standards. Who could possibly compare? What boy could be so blind to not see what was right in front of his own damn eyes?

And that’s just what he told her.

“Ladybug, you are perfect. Any boy who doesn’t see that is an absolute moron,” growled Chat with a protectiveness he hadn’t known he had. Her crying paused, seemingly startled out of her mindset by his voice. “You are so, so gorgeous. And smart! Like, I never come up with those ingenious ideas for defeating akumas - that’s all you. Plus, you’re one of a kind. No one would ever be able to be the Ladybug you are. Not to mention, I don’t want anyone else. You’re absolutely perfect, in every way. Don’t you see that?”

The red and black clad superheroine pushed herself back to stare at him, eyes widening with every word he spoke. Her jaw hung faintly open.

“Chat…” came her hushed breath, barely audible. What was that in her voice? Amazement? Regret? Disbelief? Sadness?

“Chat, I- you don’t know what you’re saying,” she quickly covered, shaking her head as though trying to dismiss his words.

But Chat wouldn’t be silenced that easily. He never had. Grabbing her hand, he stared deep into her soul to tell her, “No, I do know what I’m saying. Because I’m the only one who really knows you, Ladybug, and I love you. I love everything about who you are.”

She recoiled, pulling her hand from his grip and it felt like his world was crumbling around him. Shoving herself to her feet, Chat scrambled to follow, watching as she took a quaking step back. Neither had wavered their gaze, both chests heaving for different reasons.

There was a lump swallowed in Ladybug’s throat, and then she spoke:

“I… I don’t feel that way, Chat.”

_ Betrayal. Confusion. _

“W-What?”

“I don’t. I’m sorry. I told you before, I love this other boy, even if he doesn’t love me back. Even though it hurts. I thought you understood. Wh-Why? What… How could you say those things to me when you know how I feel?”

_ Crushing pain. _

It was Chat’s turn to swallow a hardness he felt in his esophagus, a choked breath coming out. Lip wavering, he felt his eyes prickle with the threat of tears. 

“B-But I thought....”

“You thought what?” Now Ladybug held an air of anger amidst her heartbreak. An edge laced her tone, firing, “That you would just swoop in and sweep me off my feet like a white knight? I’ve told you before, Chat, I don’t think of you like that. You’re my partner, nothing more. I’m not going to change my mind just because you decide to prey on me while I’m vulnerable.”

_ Fuck. Her. _

Flinching back, blinded by hurt and betrayal, Chat’s teeth bared at her. “Screw you, Ladybug,” snarled the blonde with a viciousness neither knew he had, “You know I have nothing but respect for you, but if that’s what you think of me, maybe I should change that. So, pick a new partner. I’m done.”

She gasped as he turned his back to her, but her reach was too late.

Chat Noir leaped off the _ La Tour Eiffel, _ using his baton to evade falling. His pitch black suit vanished into the night, not bothering to hear her pleas behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette struggles to cope with all the emotions swirling in her head. It seems not even Tikki can keep her as positive as she usually is. Meanwhile, Hawkmoth doesn't leave much room for days off in her superhero life...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lovely readers,
> 
> Thank you for being patient with this chapter! As promised, we'll be focusing on Marinette in this chapter. Let me know what you think of the length, detail, etc. as all of this helps me write better for you! (Chapter 3 will be extra long to make up for the long wait)
> 
> P.S. You were all so sweet on your comments last chapter; it means the world to me that you appreciate my story :)

_ Fuck, fuck, fuck. _

Ladybug’s heart raced fast enough to halt her breath entirely as Chat Noir’s ebony form receded among the buildings, her open hand still outstretched desperately. 

_ What had she done? Those weren’t the words she’d meant to say. But…  _ Why? _ Why had he been compelled to confess to her now of all times? Chat could have picked any moment, instead choosing when she felt the most broken she’d ever felt. Ladybug figured she probably would have snapped at  _ anyone _ in that moment, regardless of whether or not they confessed a hidden love for her. But why did it have to be Chat? _

He was her partner, one of the most important people in her entire life. She considered him as important as Alya, her best friend. In a manner of speaking,  _ he _ was her true best friend - the only one she could be completely honest with about superhero or civilian matters. And now… she’d driven her partner away. Chat Noir wanted nothing to do with her, and after that outburst, she didn’t blame him. 

That said, shouldn’t he have read the situation and known better? Had he never been heartbroken before? He shouldn’t have just told her that! Could he have been more foolish? Chat Noir was a lot of things, but until today she hadn’t thought him to be one of those guys. The guys who preyed on the rejected girls… Was that really who he was, despite everything she thought she knew about him?

Falling to her knees, chest heaving, her bluebell eyes stared after the spot he’d left for many minutes. When a flash of car lights veered by, it pulled her to a state where she could at least shakily grab her yo-yo. Vaulting off  _ La Tour Eiffel, _ she swung her way to her balcony, falling on and dropping her transformation with a flicker of magenta light.

* * *

_ “See you at school tomorrow,” his words echoed behind her as the bakery door slammed shut. _

_ What had she been thinking? That Adrien would return the feelings she had never told him about or acted on? He wouldn’t find someone to love while she’d been too chicken to even speak a sentence to him without spewing word vomit? _

_ How would she even be able to look him in the eye at school tomorrow, much less speak to him! Marinette whimpered into her pillow at the thought. She’d managed to crawl through her trapdoor into her room, only shuffling as far as her chaise before curling up with a throw blanket and heart-shaped pillow previously lying there.  _

_ She was so stupid; of course he probably had girls lining up for him! Girls much prettier than her, certainly, were throwing themselves at him left and right. He had models, actresses, girls with wealth and power. Who would settle for her instead? _

_ Her hands gripped the pillow tighter, knuckles turning white as she sobbed. Below the chaise, her phone buzzed with Alya’s name, but she scarcely made out the photo of her best friend through the tears. Having no desire to talk, especially knowing she wanted to know about the ride home with Adrien, Marinette ignored the ringing and rolled over. She’d get up in time for patrol with Chat Noir. Right now, though, she wanted to be alone. _

* * *

Collapsing onto the same space she’d left previously, Marinette let the air get pushed from her lungs against the armrest. Tikki flew straight for her desk, where a plate of cookies had been thoughtfully left for her.

This was not the way she expected her night to go. Having Chat Noir confess to her, rejecting him with all the bottled up feelings she’d had that afternoon, and finding herself more alone than she’d ever been? It was all of her worst-case scenarios coming true before her eyes. Wasn’t she supposed to be the embodiment of good luck? Somewhere, she suspected some higher power was beside themselves with the irony.

“Are you okay, Marinette?” came the soft voice of her kwami, nibbling at a chocolate chip cookie. Blue eyes bore into her, as sad as they were worried. Tikki wasn’t completely unaware of the happenings when her chosen was transformed. She’d once explained to Marinette that she couldn’t actually hear or see anything, but she could feel the user’s emotions through their bond when transformed.

A shaking blanket whimpered. “Ti-Tikki… I messed up bad tonight. I don’t kn-know how I’m going to fix this,” croaked the girl, pulling the cover back just enough to meet Tikki’s eyes with her own glossy vision. “Chat Noir is never going to forgive me f-for breaking his heart like that! H-He doesn’t even… He does-doesn’t even want to b-be my partner anymore.”

Tikki’s face would have paled by the expression she gave, Marinette assumed, because the kwami dropped her cookie and was at her side in an instant.

“He’s no longer going to be Chat Noir? He can’t! The balance of nature requires both miraculous must be active at the same time!” exclaimed the tiny goddess, flailing her arms about.

Head brushing from side to side, she further explained, “No, sorry, he didn’t say he was giving up being Chat Noir. He just won’t work with me. He said… for now he’s going to save people without me.” Her bottom lip wavered and the ladybug deity softened her features.

Understanding the complexity of the situation now, she replied, “Oh, Marinette… Chat Noir loves you. I’m sure he will come around. He’s going to miss having you, and he will hear you out eventually.”

“That’s not the problem!” bursted Marinette, voice becoming slightly more hysterical, “He acted like he was the only victim there, when he was the one trying to make a move when I was clearly upset! What kind of person does that?”

“Marinette, I think maybe-”

“And he thinks I can handle everything on my own? He doesn’t know how selfish he’s being! I rely on him for so much, like helping me catch akumas. He’s not just abandoning me, he’s abandoning  _ Paris _ if he refuses to work with me! I can’t do everything on my own, eventually the toll will catch up with schoolwork, superhero stuff, and trying to maintain a somewhat normal life,” she worried further, now sitting upright with blown pupils.

The hint of anger in her tone paused Tikki, who frowned at her holder. “Don’t you think you owe him the benefit of the doubt?”

Reeling on her kwami, she snapped back, “Doubt? He made it pretty clear how he felt, and if he didn’t need to think twice about just leaving me like that, then maybe I made a poor choice in trusting him in the first place. I guess I’m starting to see who he really is now.”

“I don’t think that’s true, I think you just need to talk to him,” pleaded Tikki, “You both said things you didn’t mean, I’m sure, and if you ignore each other like this, you won’t fix anything!”

Quietly, she murmured with defeat, “Maybe I don’t want to fix it. Maybe I’ll be better off without him.”

“You don’t mean that!” gasped the bug.

“I… Tikki, I just can’t think about any of this anymore. I’m so tired.” 

Her kwami cast her chosen a sympathetic gaze, though she clearly had more to say, nodding and moving to kiss Marinette’s forehead. Urging the girl to her feet and towards her bed, she managed to climb up and under her covers without much trouble. Then, with a head full of buzzing thoughts, she drifted into an unpleasant sleep.

* * *

_ “Don’t be bemused, it’s just the news!” _

The crackle of her laptop turning on with an alert woke Marinette from a fitful rest, arm hanging off her bed as she groaned.

_ “A villain calling themselves ‘Minimizer’ has been shrinking her victims.” _

Right at this moment, Marinette regretted having her laptop set to alert her every time there was an akuma attack. It was early, golden light still pouring from her blinds, and she had barely slept through her tossing and turning all night.

The desperation to scream into her pillow and go back to sleep was overpowering, but a tiny bug poked at her arm until she met her gaze.

“Come on, Marinette, we have to go save Paris,” urged her kwami.

Nodding, she rolled up onto her feet and climbed down, barely fixing her hair before calling: “Tikki, spots on!”

Pink light washed over her frame, dressing her in skintight red with black spots from her neck down. Her mask hid the dark circles that would be obvious at school today, so she didn’t have to worry about that as she stepped out onto her balcony and swung in the direction the newest akuma victim was supposed to be in.

Apparently, it was almost time for class to start (she’d be late  _ again _ ) because kids who had been shrunk down to pocket size scrambled all over the halls. She heard the Minimizer’s voice snarling through the building.

“You think it’s easy picking on someone smaller than you? Try this on for size!”

Screams followed, which transformed into tiny little squeaking noises as they became too little to hear properly.

Ladybug swung into the room, catching sight of a rather small girl engulfed in black. The Minimizer smacked a young boy with a ruler, instantly shrinking him down like the others. 

_ The akuma must be in her ruler, _ deduced the heroine quickly, contemplating how she’d manage to get this done swiftly with few issues. Chat Noir’s cataclysm would certainly come in handy right about now, doing something to distract her while he turned her weapon to dust. She doubted she could just walk over and take it without becoming tiny like the others.

“Ladybug!” the villain whirled on her, “I will seize your miraculous, and then Chat Noir’s, and then everyone will know what it’s like to be the small fry in school!”

Her heinous laugh came before she lunged at Ladybug, who darted to the side to dodge. Minimizer moved impressively, though she managed to hold her own until she caught a flash of black out of the corner of her eye. Seeing the familiar form of her partner leading helpless civilians out of the way (they’d be sure to be crushed at their size), she paused long enough to be thrown into the wall by her opponent. 

She got lucky that she wasn’t hit with the ruler, but she had about five seconds to come up with a plan. Throwing her yo-yo into the air and calling “Lucky Charm!” used up two of those seconds, as did her cursing what to do with the item she’d been given: A towel.

“Cataclysm!”

His familiar cry drew her attention, watching him rake his glowing hand over a few bookshelves, sending the books flying over Minimizer, who screamed in fury. It flailed her enough to where she lost grip on her ruler, which Ladybug quickly used the towel to whip out of her hand.

The towel shrank, but it still gave enough room for her to step on the akumatized item without shrinking herself and release the akuma. Her yo-yo was out in a second, capturing and purifying the butterfly. Before she could call out her ‘Miraculous Ladybug’, her bluebell gaze swept to thank Chat Noir.

Beside the girl, now released from Hawkmoth’s clutches, empty room surrounded her. Ladybug turned everything back to normal, frowning at the sudden disappearance of Chat Noir but needing to talk to the child first.

“Are you okay?”

Sniffling, the former victim peered up at Ladybug sorrowfully. “I’m so sorry! These girls were picking on me because I’m too short to do anything about it, and I guess I just got a little upset…”

Soft eyes on her, the heroine said, “It’s okay, everyone gets upset sometimes. We just have to remember to try to stay on the positive side, so we don’t get akumatized by Hawkmoth. I know it’s frustrating to be small, but think of it this way: You get to do things others can’t! You have a whole bunch of different things to accomplish that they can’t do because they’re too tall.”

Smiling through her tears, she nodded. “I never thought of it that way. Thank you Ladybug.”

Nodding back to her, Ladybug gave her a hug before her earrings beeped to remind her to return, excusing herself before vanishing from school grounds much like Chat Noir before her.

* * *

Returning to school as Marinette took an extra hour she didn’t have, resulting in her being inevitably late to class. Slipping quietly into her seat, sending her teacher an apologetic glance, Alya wasted no time leaning in to get the inside scoop on her best friend.

“Girl, what  _ happened  _ yesterday afternoon? You didn’t answer any of my texts! Adrien drove you home, did you finally tell him? Or speak a sentence to him?”

Her best friend’s hushed interrogation came excitedly, but paused when Marinette shot her a tired look of defeat. Shrugging, earning a concerned glance from Alya, she explained in a near-silent whisper, “He’s in love with someone else, Alya. It doesn’t matter.”

Mouth forming an ‘O’ as her face fell at the realization of what this meant for the bluenette, Alya outstretched a hand to rest on Marinette’s shoulder. To her credit, she didn’t say anything for the rest of class, instead letting her friend focus on taking notes and ignoring the blonde head sitting directly in front of her.

Even though it wasn’t his fault, she felt like he was taunting her. Just by  _ existing _ right in front of her, so close yet nowhere in her reach. 

Yesterday, she had learned how soft his hair was, how easily her fingers slipped through his golden locks. Her knuckles had grazed his cheek, skin so soft as it warmed under her contact. And his smell… it reminded her of the beach. Not that he smelled sandy or like salt, but that he had this strong, naturally pleasant scent that she found herself craving. Knowing what she knows now, and understanding it will never happen was potentially the definition of torture for Marinette.

When she rose at the end of class, collecting her books, she walked past him before he could get up. She could have sworn she felt his eyes boring into her back, but she just couldn’t bring herself to check.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you for being so patient! I've been busy the past few weeks. I went to ComiCon in Portland this year, plus the PopCats Convention in the same location - if any of you have been, it's amazing and I would absolutely recommend it. Got to meet some fabulous people, see some great merch from different fandoms (including Miraculous Ladybug!) so it's a must-see for all nerds like me ;)
> 
> But regarding the story, you'll finally be seeing our first long-awaited MariChat scene in Chapter 3! I'd love for you guys tell me what you thought of my writing of Mari! She's kind of a difficult character for me to navigate, as I've always seen her as a bit naive and very vulnerable to emotional overload, but her personality is so different from mine that I worry I exaggerate her a bit, therefore I'd appreciate your views to reference.
> 
> \- libs <3

**Author's Note:**

> This story will be split fairly evenly between Adrien's and Marinette's point of view, though it may lean more towards Adrien's, as I originally intended for the story to follow him exclusively. Next chapter will start in Marinette's point of view so you can delve into her mind :)
> 
> I would also be very appreciative of akuma suggestions for the near future. I'm a little lacking in creativity for coming up with super-villains I'm afraid, but it'll give me a chance to interact with some of you lovely people personally! 
> 
> Much love,  
\- libs
> 
> P.S. For the purpose of this story, you can assume their canon ages are 15-16 (legal age of consent in France), considering later chapters will have heavy sexual content.


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